von Christine Burgmer | Jan. 22, 2025 | Grammar quirks, Tips and Tricks |
Past Simple is used when you talk about actions that happened at a specific time in the past.
Example: “I finished the report yesterday.“
(Here, “yesterday” gives us a clear point in the past, so we use the past simple.)
Present Perfect is used when the time is not specified or when there is a connection to the present (the result is relevant now).
Example: “I have finished the report.“
(Here, the time is not mentioned, and the result is important now.)
Tip:
- Use Past Simple for actions that happened at a specific time (like “yesterday,” “last year,” “in 2023,” etc.).
- Use Present Perfect when the exact time isn’t mentioned, or when the action has an effect or relevance to now.
von Christine Burgmer | Jan. 22, 2025 | Tips and Tricks, Vocabulary variations |
Hard means with effort or diligently. It’s used when you want to express that someone is putting in a lot of work or effort to do something.
Example: “He worked hard to meet the deadline.“
(This means he put in a lot of effort to meet the deadline.)
Hardly means almost not or barely. It is used to show that something is done to a very small degree or almost not at all.
Example: “She hardly slept before the big presentation.“
(This means she barely slept or she almost didn’t sleep at all before the presentation.)
hard = hard
hardly = kaum
von Christine Burgmer | Jan. 22, 2025 | Tips and Tricks, Vocabulary variations |
Actual refers to something real or true, without exaggeration or change. It is used when you want to emphasise that something is exactly as it is, not imagined or estimated.
Example: The actual sales figures are impressive.
(This means the real or true sales figures, not any predicted or estimated ones.)
Actual = tatsächlich or wirklich
Current refers to something that is happening now or existing at the present time.
Example: The current sales figures are impressive.
(This means the sales figures right now, as of today or this period.)
Current = aktuell
von Christine Burgmer | Jan. 22, 2025 | Grammar quirks, Tips and Tricks |
In English, we generally use “a” or “an” before job titles when talking about someone’s profession in a general sense.
- Correct: She is a project manager.
- Incorrect:
She is project manager.
(The article “a” is missing, which makes the sentence sound incomplete.)
Tip:
The article “a” is used with consonant sounds, and “an” is used with vowel sounds (like an engineer).
von Christine Burgmer | Jan. 22, 2025 | Grammar quirks, Tips and Tricks |
The first conditional is used to talk about real and possible situations in the future.
Here’s the correct structure:
If + present simple, + will + base verb
Example: If I see her, I will tell her.
Notice that “will” is not used in the “if” clause, but in the 2nd part of the sentence.
This is incorrect:
If I will see her, I will tell her.
Tip:
In the first conditional, always use the present simple after “if,” and save “will” for the main part of the sentence.
von Christine Burgmer | Jan. 22, 2025 | Grammar quirks, Tips and Tricks |
Many is used with countable nouns (things you can count, like employees, books or cars).
Example: How many employees work in your company? (You can count the number of employees.)
Much is used with uncountable nouns (things you can’t count individually, like water, money or information).
Example: How much water is in the bottle? (You can’t count water in separate units.)
It’s a simple rule, but it makes a big difference!
